‘Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.’

~Albert Einstein

I thought it, and the blog post that accompanied it, to be so in line with the way I feel about the subject of success attainment that I couldn’t resist making it the focus of today’s quotivation.

He claims that he was a success even from the day he started his blog. He says he had no readers then but he was happy because he loved doing what he was doing.

Too bad not more of us think like that.

The reason we don’t I believe is because there is a problem with the term “success”. We can’t seem to agree on how to define it. That’s because it means different things to different people and personal opinions can be touchy things when it comes to defining our station in life.

In my work, which I’m very passionate about, I’m often trying to move out value to my clients. It’s sometimes a struggle. Because what I’m offering is an intrinsic experience and it’s tough to make clear what it’s like before they actually get into the actual experience.

I’m attempting to find a way to explain that I’m out to bring them a state of mindset maintenance that is not too up and not too down but in the middle. Like a teeter- totter that stays level. It acts sort of like an immune system. It mirrors the body’s immune system except it looks after the thinking flesh rather than the physical flesh.

That’s my value.

In thinking about success the common thing most people do is to look at the bright shinny objects (hype) that successful people often possess. But there is a reason why they call them “trappings” (stress).

In the early part of this century, when the super-rich John D. Rockefeller was passing on the family mantle to his only son, the treasure trove was referred to as a “heavy burden” and indeed it was to the young John Jr. He grew up terrified of making a mistake.

Value, on the other hand, is about giving something to others. The magic of giving intrinsic value is that it’s bottomless. It never runs out because the more you give the more you’ve got. Giving intrinsic value is the road to happiness because it changes lives with invisible enrichment.

Am I against making money?

Of course not. But let me ask you: Where does monetary success end? As Leo points out, for the wealthy it doesn’t ever seem to. The feeling of needing to make more is never sated.

Personally, I’d rather stay on the side of more happiness.

Like Leo the simple joy that I get from every experience I witness is greater a value than the money people might pay me for any service that I might offer them. That’s just gravy.

I firmly believe that we need not join in the chase for success but become so resilient to our own failures that a special immunity kicks in and happiness remains intact.

Something that I think, given the season, might be an importantly relevant observation for a lot of us as we ponder our future prospects going into 2011.

More power to you and yours during this season.

PS: Looking for more balance and happiness in your life? Sign-up to attend one of my free webinars. Put your name and email in the box over there on the right—>

Usually the term “black hat” references to some of the more sinister sort of methods used by daring marketers to temporarily get around or outsmart the search engines so that they can gain higher rankings.

But let’s be clear: I’m not into that.

Wouldn’t know the first thing about it anyway. I’m no smarty-ass coder. I hardly know my HTML from my HELP.

So, what’s with the black hat? Well, see I’m just loosely calling it that because (although it is black in color) it’s my way of demonstrating that what I’m presenting is going to be a tad controversial to those who have interests in the industry of personal development.

I’m going to be putting on a webinar later this month to explain Mindset Immunity and what it means for those who seek better results without getting all hyped or pumped up from teachings that continue to come out of traditional self-help. (If you want you can sign up to receive the announcement of the time and date in the form in the right sidebar.)

In this group I’ll even include the airy fairy LOA stuff as well as the dreamy head-based Himalayan snow breeze promoted by the TM’ers.

Personally I’ve always been uncomfortable with that stuff as well as the stuff that says things like “If you don’t feel happy at least act happy and soon you’ll feel happy.”

Too much lame fakeness for me. I’d much rather have that joy and happiness simmering away, as it usually does, in my gut.

Mindset Immunity, in a nutshell, is about the discovery of new type of immune system. It’s the one that looks after our thinking mindset and it appears to work much like the one that looks after our physical bodies although it’s painfully slower. The biggest difference is that it’s well… invisible.

But, strange as that may seem, that’s not what makes it all that “black hat”. That term is what I imagine all those gooroos will think it is. See, when people like you find out that you can easily discover that you have a new natural capability, one that’s already in you from birth, and that helps to control your mood towards the positive side automatically, then that could impact the whole industry. Capabilities are more permanent deliverables than information is.

Capabilities can’t be taken away from you by anyone. They are a real thing. An attribute that brings you more intrinsic power and freedom that comes from you and belongs to you. You’re not beholden to anyone and that’s new in this rock-star industry.

Remember, personal development is an industry that hasn’t seen much newness since the dear old Maharishi showed up back in 1958 promising to bring what he said would: “rid the world of all unhappiness and discontent.”

Ok, maybe didn’t turn out that way for this oblate spheroid we call earth but it did alright for him.

To the tune of millions of moochos moola.

Worth a tip o’the black hat wouldn’t you say?

More power to you.

PS: Tell me what you think in the comment area below. Or, if you’ve got something cool to say, just give me a shout in the box below.

Random Quote

A reporter asked Brad Pitt …”What advice would you give teens about resisting peer pressure?” He replied: “I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I believe in exploration — but smart exploration, not dangerous. If you’re feeling pressured to try certain things that don’t feel right to you, go with your gut instincts. It’ll never steer you wrong.”